“Most fans are familiar with Archie as a high schooler, hanging out at Pop’s Chocklit Shop with his friends. ‘Life With Archie’ shows what happens when Archie becomes an adult and starts dealing with grownup issues.”

And, he said, killing off the Archie character was a “natural conclusion” to the series.

The cover of “Life With Archie” #36 that will hit stores July 16.Photo: Archie Comics

“Archie dies as he lived — heroically. He dies saving the life of a friend, and does it in his usual selfless way. Archie has always been a representation of us — the best of us. Our strengths and our faults,” Goldwater said.

Writer Paul Kupperberg, he added, “has crafted an emotional, impactful and classic story that I know will survive the test of time. This isn’t a random one-off or ‘what-if’ story that we’re doing as a gag. This is the story that we mapped out carefully and with much thought.”

“This is the death of Archie as we see it, and we’re treating it with that same level of gravitas and import. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we are being very considerate about it.”